Image capturing apparatus, image processing apparatus and method, and program therefor

1. An image processing apparatus comprising: one or more processors operable to: receive an image to be processed; extract, from the image, brightness information indicating brightness of the image; extract, from the image, luminance-value-distribution information indicating a distribution of luminance values in the image, wherein the luminance-value-distribution information is determined from a histogram extracted from the image, and on the basis of the extracted histogram, median of luminance values is calculated; and determine a scene of an object included in the image by obtaining predetermined evaluation values, for each of various types of scenes, that correspond to the extracted brightness information and the calculated median of luminance values, and by determining the scene of the object to be one of the various types of scenes based on the obtained predetermined evaluation values, wherein the various types of scenes comprises a nighttime scene, a backlit scene, an outdoor scene, and an indoor scene.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are operable to: store, on the scene-by-scene basis, a brightness-information evaluation value parameter indicating a distribution of the extracted brightness information according to the various types of scenes; store, on the scene-by-scene basis, a luminance-value-distribution-information evaluation value parameter indicating a feature amount corresponding to the extracted luminance-value distribution information according to the various types of scenes; calculate, on the scene-by-scene basis, a brightness-information evaluation value using the stored brightness-information evaluation value parameter corresponding to the extracted brightness information, calculate, on the scene-by-scene basis, a luminance-value-distribution-information evaluation value using the stored luminance-value-distribution-information evaluation value parameter corresponding to the extracted luminance-value-distribution information, and calculate, on the scene-by-scene basis, a determination evaluation value on the basis of the brightness-information evaluation value and the luminance-value-distribution-information evaluation value calculated on the scene-by-scene basis, and determine the scene of the object included in the image on the basis of the determination evaluation value calculated on the scene-by-scene basis.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein luminance values, corresponding to a binarization threshold of luminance, are calculated on the basis of the extracted histogram and wherein the binarization threshold of luminance is obtained by performing a discriminant analysis method on the histogram.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are operable to: split the image into a plurality of regions, extract luminance-value region information of each of the plurality of regions, and determine the scene of the object included in the image on the basis of the extracted brightness information, the extracted luminance-value-distribution information, and the extracted luminance-value region information.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the one or more processors are operable to: store, on the scene-by-scene basis, a brightness-information evaluation value parameter indicating a distribution of the extracted brightness information according to the various types of scenes; store, on the scene-by-scene basis, a luminance-value-distribution-information evaluation value parameter indicating a feature amount corresponding to the extracted luminance-value distribution information according to the various types of scenes; store region group information indicating a group of regions of the image, which are classified on the basis of a size of the extracted luminance-value region information according to the various types of scenes, and an evaluation-value converting table for converting the extracted luminance-value region information into a split-region evaluation value on the basis of the stored region group information; calculate, on the scene-by-scene basis, a brightness-information evaluation value using the stored brightness-information evaluation value parameter corresponding to the extracted brightness information, calculate, on the scene-by-scene basis, a luminance-value-distribution-information evaluation value using the stored luminance-value-distribution-information evaluation value parameter corresponding to the extracted luminance-value-distribution information, and calculate, on the scene-by-scene basis, a determination evaluation value on the basis of the brightness-information evaluation value and the luminance-value-distribution-information evaluation value calculated on the scene-by-scene basis; calculate, on the scene-by-scene basis, for the extracted luminance-value region information, the split-region evaluation value using the stored region group information and the stored evaluation-value converting table, and determine the scene of the object included in the image on the basis of the determination evaluation value and the split-region evaluation value calculated on the scene-by-scene basis.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the one or more processors are operable to perform correction to increase the calculated split-region evaluation value in a case where luminance-value region information extracted from a predetermined region of the image exists within a predetermined range.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are operable to perform, in a case where the scene of the object included in the image is determined to be a predetermined scene, an illuminance correction process in accordance with the predetermined scene.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are operable to set an image capturing condition in accordance with presence of a face included in the image and presence of light emission in a case where the scene of the object included in the image is determined to be a backlit scene.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are operable to display, in a case where the scene of the object included in the image has been continuously determined to be the same scene for a predetermined period of time, a mark representing the scene which has been continuously determined for the predetermined period of time.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are operable to display an icon representing the determined scene of the object, wherein the color of the displayed icon changes when a shutter release button of the image processing apparatus is pressed halfway.

11. An image processing apparatus comprising: one or more processor operable to: store region group information indicating a group of regions of a captured image, which are classified on the basis of a size of luminance-value region information in a predetermined region of the captured image according to a predetermined plurality of various types of scenes, wherein each of the predetermined plurality of various types of scenes corresponds to a different distribution of the group of regions over an area of the captured image; split the captured image into a plurality of regions and extract the luminance-value region information of each of the plurality of regions, wherein the luminance-value region information comprises a mean value of the luminance; calculate, on the scene-by-scene basis for each of the predetermined plurality of various types of scenes, a split-region evaluation value using the stored region group information and the extracted luminance-value region information; modify the calculated split-region evaluation value based on scene correction information; and determine a scene of an object included in the captured image on the basis of the modified split-region evaluation value.

12. An image processing method comprising: extracting, from an image, brightness information indicating brightness of the image; extracting, from the image, luminance-value-distribution information indicating a distribution of luminance values in the image, wherein the luminance-value-distribution information is determined from a histogram extracted from the image, and on the basis of the extracted histogram, median of luminance values is calculated; and determining a scene of an object included in the image by obtaining predetermined evaluation values, for each of various types of scenes, that correspond to the extracted brightness information and the calculated median of luminance values, and by determining the scene of the object to be one of the various types of scenes based on the obtained predetermined evaluation values, wherein the various types of scenes comprises a nighttime scene, a backlit scene, an outdoor scene, and an indoor scene.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to execute a process comprising: extracting, from an image, brightness information indicating brightness of the image; extracting, from the image, luminance-value-distribution information indicating a distribution of luminance values in the image, wherein the luminance-value-distribution information is determined from a histogram extracted from the image, and on the basis of the extracted histogram, median of luminance values is calculated; and determining a scene of an object included in the image by obtaining predetermined evaluation values, for each of various types of scenes, that correspond to the extracted brightness information and the calculated median of luminance value; and by determining the scene of the object to be one of the various types of scenes based on the obtained predetermined evaluation values, wherein the various types of scenes comprises a nighttime scene, a backlit scene, an outdoor scene, and an indoor scene.

14. An image capturing apparatus comprising: one or more processors operable to: capture an image of an object and generate a captured image; extract, from the captured image, brightness information indicating brightness of the captured image; extract, from the captured image, luminance-value-distribution information indicating a distribution of luminance values in the captured image, wherein the luminance-value-distribution information is determined from a histogram extracted from the captured image, and on the basis of the extracted histogram, median of luminance values is calculated; and determine a scene of the object included in the captured image by obtaining predetermined evaluation values, for each of various types of scenes, that correspond to the extracted brightness information and calculated median of luminance values and by determining the scene of the object to be one of the various types of scenes based on the obtained predetermined evaluation values, wherein the various types of scenes comprises a nighttime scene, a backlit scene, an outdoor scene, and an indoor scene.

15. An image processing apparatus comprising: circuitry configured to: receive an image to be processed; extract, from the image, brightness information indicating brightness of the image; extract, from the image, luminance-value-distribution information indicating a distribution of luminance values in the image, wherein the luminance-value-distribution information is determined from a histogram extracted from the image, and on the basis of the extracted histogram, median of luminance values is calculated; and determine a scene of an object included in the image by obtaining predetermined evaluation values, for each of various types of scenes, that correspond to the extracted brightness information and the calculated median of luminance values, and by determining the scene of the object to be one of the various types of scenes based on the obtained predetermined evaluation values, wherein the various types of scenes comprises a nighttime scene, a backlit scene, an outdoor scene, and an indoor scene.

16. An image processing apparatus comprising: a split-region-evaluation-value-converting-information storage unit configured to store region group information indicating a group of regions of a captured image, which are classified on the basis of a size of luminance-value region information in a predetermined region of the captured image according to a predetermined plurality of various types of scenes, wherein each of the predetermined plurality of various types of scenes corresponds to a different distribution of the group of regions over an area of the captured image; and circuitry configured to: split the captured image into a plurality of regions and extract the luminance-value region information of each of the plurality of regions, wherein the luminance-value region information comprises a mean value of the luminance; calculate, on the scene-by-scene basis for each of the predetermined plurality of various types of scenes, a split-region evaluation value using the stored region group information and the extracted luminance value region information; modify the calculated split-region evaluation value based on scene correction information; and determine a scene of an object included in the captured image on the basis of the modified split-region evaluation value.

17. The image processing apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the circuitry is configured to: detect a rotation angle of the image processing apparatus; and calculate, on the scene-by-scene basis for each of the predetermined plurality of various types of scenes, the split-region evaluation value based on the detected rotation angle.

18. An image capturing apparatus comprising: circuitry configured to: capture an image of an object and generate a captured image; extract, from the captured image, brightness information indicating brightness of the captured image; extract, from the captured image, luminance-value-distribution information indicating a distribution of luminance values in the captured image, wherein the luminance-value-distribution information is determined from a histogram extracted from the captured image, and on the basis of the extracted histogram, median of luminance values is calculated; and determine a scene of the object included in the captured image by obtaining predetermined evaluation values, for each of various types of scenes, that correspond to the extracted brightness information and the calculated median of luminance values, and by determining the scene of the object to be one of the various types of scenes based on the obtained predetermined evaluation values, wherein the various types of scenes comprises a nighttime scene, a backlit scene, an outdoor scene, and an indoor scene.